The fun part is yours. The rest is done.
- Accounts & leaderboardsSign-in, scores, and personal bests come prewired.
- Multiplayer & physicsReal-time play without writing server code.
- AnalyticsSee who plays, watches, reads, and comes back.
Creator Jam
Ended
Building open
Back to Work Jam
Every job has a story worth telling. Pick one, real or invented, ordinary or bizarre, and build something about the person who clocks in and does it.
01 / What is RUN?
Build the game you want to play.
Turn an idea into something people can play, watch, or read. Build with AI, then publish for people to enjoy together on iOS, Android, and web. No studio or technical background required. Get weird.
It can pay
- Revenue sharePublished entries earn you real money.
- Cash-prize jamsLike this one, with $3,000 on the line.
- Free AI credits100,000 credits included for this jam. Sign up with your email to get the code.
One tap, publish everywhere
Reach players in minutes.
- iOS Live
- Android Live
- Web Live
- Steam Coming soon
- Smart TV Coming soon
Required: read this first
Every entry is built during the jam.
Building is open. Make your entry as a game on RUN, then publish to public before September 14 at noon PT. Winners are decided by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment you publish through judging closes September 18, so publish early, share your entry, and bring people back to play. Updates never reset your entry.
02 / How to enter
Pick a job, build it, publish it.
Build a game around a job, any job, publish to RUN before submissions close, and you're in. No forms, no fuss. Building a story or video instead? Just publish it to be eligible for the Story & Video Editor's Picks.
01
Choose your kit
Build a playable game from one of the Back to Work kits in Game Studio, or use the Adventure Studio (both count as a game entry). All run in your browser.
02
Pick your job
11 days. Solo or with friends, no team-size cap. Pick a job, real or invented, common or uncommon, then show us a day on the clock: the tasks, the tools, and the very real human behind it.
03
Publish to RUN
Share your entry to RUN before September 14 at noon PT and you land on the board automatically. Publishing early costs you nothing and gives your entry more time to rack up plays before judging closes. Keep refining all jam; updates never reset your entry.
04 / About
An 11-day jam. Any job, real stories.
Flavor Architect. Conspiracy Analyst. Reality Collector. Barista. Line cook. Any job can carry a great story. Back to Work is a jam about work, real or invented, common or strange, and the very real story of the person who clocks in.
Build it in Game Studio or the Adventure Studio using RUN.studio and the Back to Work kits if you're making a game, or in Story Studio or Video Studio if you'd rather tell it as a story or video, all in your browser. You get 11 days. Winners are ranked by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment you publish through judging closes, so build something people want to come back to and play.
06 / Theme & rules
What counts as an entry
- To enter: build an original entry around a job and publish it to RUN before September 14 at noon PT. Games must start from one of the official jam templates (September Jam Tower Defense or September Jam Bare Bones) in Game Studio or with the rundot CLI, or be built in the Adventure Studio (all count as a game entry). Every published, on-theme entry is entered automatically, with no separate submission form.
- Your entry must fit the theme: a job, real or fictional, common or uncommon, and the real human story behind it. Weird is welcome but not required. Show us a day on the clock and the person who works it.
- Building opens September 3 at noon PT. Anything started before then is disqualified. Original ideas only: no 1:1 clones, no copyrighted character names or art.
- Solo or team, no team-size cap, but every team member must be credited.
- Submissions close Monday September 14 at noon PT. Late means disqualified.
- Scoring: winners in the Game track are decided by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment your entry is published through judging closes September 18 at noon PT. Publishing earlier gives your entry more time on the board, so publish as soon as it's ready and keep refining; updates never reset your entry or its play count. The Editor's Pick award is chosen by the RUN team. Winners are announced live after judging closes September 18 at noon PT.
- Story Studio and Video Studio entries are also welcome and compete separately for the Story & Video Editor's Picks (three awards, chosen by the RUN team), not the plays-based Game leaderboard.
07 / Schedule
Milestones
September 1
Theme reveal
Back to Work: any job, real stories. Find collaborators in #back-to-work on Discord and start picking your job before the clock starts.
September 3 · 12:00 PT
Building opens
The jam officially opens. Clock in and build.
September 3 – September 14
11-day build
11 days to build your job into a game, story, or video. Drop-in office hours all week.
September 14 · 12:00 PT
Pencils down
Submissions close. Anything published after this won't count.
September 14 – September 18
Judging period
Play the entries. Unique plays keep counting toward the leaderboard through judging. Winners across the Game track, the Editor's Pick, and the Story & Video Editor's Picks are all announced live after judging closes September 18 at noon PT.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this just for games?
No. Games are the main track: build a playable game from one of the Back to Work kits in Game Studio, from the Adventure Studio, or with the CLI, and it competes on the plays-based Game leaderboard. Story Studio and Video Studio entries are welcome too, and compete separately for the Story & Video Editor's Picks, three awards chosen by the RUN team rather than by plays. You can publish as many entries as you want; each one competes on its own.
Can I start building before September 3?
Practice and plan all you like, but your entry must be built during the jam, which opens September 3 at noon PT. Anything started earlier won't count. Use the wait to pick your job, real or invented, and get comfortable in Game Studio, Story Studio, Video Studio, or the Adventure Studio with a throwaway project.
How does my entry get on the leaderboard?
Automatically. The moment your game is public and approved, it's added to the Back to Work leaderboard, with no form and no submission step. Entries usually show up within about 5 minutes of being approved to public. One requirement: games have to start from one of the official jam templates, September Jam Tower Defense or September Jam Bare Bones, in Game Studio or with the CLI, or be built in the Adventure Studio. A game built outside the provided templates isn't eligible, even if it's public and on-theme. Winners are decided by total unique plays per player, counted from the moment your entry is published through judging closes (September 18), so publishing earlier gives your entry more time to rack up plays. Publish early, get feedback, and keep refining; updates never reset your entry or its play count.
What counts as a qualifying entry?
For the Game track: any original entry built around a job, real or fictional, common or uncommon, made during the jam: a game built from one of the Back to Work kits, the Adventure Studio, or the CLI. For the Story & Video Editor's Picks: any original Story Studio or Video Studio entry made during the jam and published to RUN before submissions close, no kit required. Lean into the theme: a job and the real human story behind it. Weird is welcome, but not required. Show us a day on the clock, the tools of the trade, and the person who works it.
Does an Adventure Studio project count as a game?
Yes. An Adventure Studio build is a game entry: it competes in the Game track, on the same leaderboard as entries built from the Back to Work kits in Game Studio or the CLI. Whether you start from a Back to Work kit in Game Studio, use the CLI, or build in the Adventure Studio, it all counts as a game. Just keep it original, on-theme, and published to RUN before submissions close.
What's Editor's Pick?
One Game-track award, $300, chosen by the RUN team rather than the ranked plays count. It's separate from the plays-based leaderboard, so an entry can place on the leaderboard and take Editor's Pick too. Story Studio and Video Studio entries compete for a separate set of awards, the Story & Video Editor's Picks: $300 for 1st, $100 for 2nd, and $100 for 3rd, also chosen by the RUN team.
I published. Now what?
Now you gather plays. Every unique player who plays your entry from now through judging closes (September 18) counts toward your score, so use the jam to share your entry and bring people back. Grab your entry's share link and post it everywhere it fits: the #back-to-work channel on Discord, Reddit, X, your group chat. Early fans become plays that count toward your score right away. Point people at the leaderboard too. Watching the standings move is half the fun, and it pulls in more attention. Keep refining. You can keep improving your entry all jam; updates never reset your entry or its play count, and a sharper idea wins more plays.
Do I need to know how to code?
For games: no. Game Studio in your browser or an AI desktop app on your computer let you build a game by describing it in plain English. The AI writes the code; you steer and test. Story Studio and Video Studio work the same way: describe what you want and the AI builds it.
Can I work with a team?
Yes. Solo or team, no size cap. Just credit every member on your entry.
Will I be charged to enter or build?
No. You pay $0 to enter and build. AI generation has a real cost to RUN, so we use credits to track usage. We'll email you a promo code for 100,000 free credits when the jam opens. If you run low before submissions close, ping us on Discord and we'll keep you building.
When does it all end?
Pencils down Monday, September 14 at noon PT. Judging runs through September 18 at noon PT, and winners are announced live after it closes.